Baseball batting aid



Sept. 14, 1965 K. E. MYERS 4 BASEBALL BATTING AID Filed July 23, 1962 INVENTOR. mm 57w E. Ms Eas United States Patent 3,2t6,195 BASEBALL BATTING All) Kenneth E. Myers, 1809 S. Valencia Sh, Alhambra, Calif. Filed July 23, 1962, Ser. No. 211,762 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-26) This invention relates to teaching aids, and more particularly to an aid for use by a baseball player to improve his skill at batting.

A problem in teaching batting, as well as many other sports involving coordinated body movements, is that the player can neither view his own performance, nor feel to any appreciable extent the difierence between a proper and improper movement. Virtually, the only criterion he has by which to judge his performance is observing the end result. This leads to difliculties, as a player often continues to practice bad habits, making them progressively more difficult to correct. Although a coach can, of course, explain the basic fundamentals of a proper movement and make suggested changes to a player as he performs, teaching is naturally more effective if a player receives some clear indication or can actually feel the difierence between a proper and improper movement.

In order for a batter to obtain maximum power of a swing, it is essential that the flat backside of the inside hand, e.g. the left hand in the case of a right handed batter, face substantially in the direction in which it is desired to hit the ball at the instant the bat contacts the ball. This necessitates rolling the wrists in the proper timing in relation to the swing. As will be appreciated, in the event the wrists are rolled prematurely, the fiat backside of the inside hand will face downwardly at the instant the bat contacts the ball, resulting in a loss of power. Conversely, rolling the wrists late causes the hand to face upwardly with a corresponding loss of power.

it has been found that achieving this desired position of the inside hand at the instant of contacting the ball or, in other words, in rolling the wrists in the proper timing in relation to the swing, presents most difficulty in the cases of pitches which are on the fringes of the strike zone. For example, a right handed batter is often tempted to pull or hit to to left field a low outside pitch. Doing so causes him to assume an unnatural position and to roll the wrists beyond the desired extent at the instant of contacting the ball. Accordingly, the player is likely to miss the ball altogether or in the event he does hit it, to do so weakly. Hitting such a pitch with power is best accom plished by striking the ball after it has passed his hands or in case the batter has assumed a normal stance, after it has passed behind the plate, and then hitting it to the opposite or right field. In this manner, the hand can be positioned as desired, as the swing is executed to produce maximum power.

Another pitch, which frequently presents difficulty, is a tight or high inside pitch. In this case, a batter often reaches out with his arms with the backside of his inside hand facing upwardly to push the ball, rather than swinging through and rolling the wrists sufficientiy. To hit this pitch properly, it is best achieved by contacting the ball out in front of the plate and pulling it to left field. If this is done, the wrists are naturally rolled to properly position the backside of the inside hand, so as to obtain maximum power.

in view of the foregoing, it will readily be appreciated that it is highly desirable to provide means to aid a batter in improving his skill at hitting ditficult pitches such as those mentioned above.

A problem, which is peculiar to baseball batting practice, is that it is greatly inefficient when conducted in the normal manner. To begin with, an extremely large area is required in view of the range of the batted balls. In

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addition, a considerable number of balls and fielders are required in order that a given player may take sustained practice for a sufiicient time period to make it worthwhile. As a consequence, a great deal of time and effort is required for a relatively small number of players to obtain ample batting practice.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a teaching aid, which obviates the above problems and makes it possible for a baseball player to greatly improve his skill at batting.

A more specific object is to provide a batting aid that enables a baseball player to efiiciently practice batting in a small area.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a batting aid, which closely simulates the feel of an actual bat, yet which in use clearly indicates to the batter the difference between a correct and an incorrect swing.

Another object is to provide a device of the type described, which may be used to advantage by a batter to concentrate his efiort on hitting difiicult pitches on the fringes of the strike zone as, for example, low outside and high inside pitches.

A related object is to provide a batting aid of the type described, characterized in that after having been swung to the location at which it engages the ball, it aids the player in properly following through to complete his swing.

Still another object is to provide a device, which is capable of accomplishing all of the foregoing objects, yet which is extremely simple in construction and hence inexpensive to manufacture.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be better understood by referring to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the batting aid of the invention illustrating the desired position of a batters hands substantially at the instant of engaging a ball;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational View of the aid with certain portions removed, illustrating in phantom lines a normal bat and two balls superimposed over the aid for the purpose of comparing dimensions;

FIGURE 3 is a section taken on line 22 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is an end view, illustrating in full lines the desired orientation of the aid substantially at the instant of engaging the ball, and in phantom lines positions of the aid in the cases of improper swings.

Referring to the drawing, and in particular to FIG- URE l, the batting aid of the invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. The aid 10 includes a handle 12, having a grip 14 at one end and a frame 16 at the opposite end with a net 18 secured to it. The handle 12 is preferably made of a material which is strong and durable as, for example, steel. In similar regard, the grip 14 is formed of a material that may be comfortably gripped for a long period and that is likewise strong and durable. Certain plastics, as well as natural rubber have been found particular advantageous for this latter purpose. The net 18 may be suitably formed of a variety of different materials, although nylon cord of high strength is preferred.

The handle 12 is an elongated straight member of tubular cross section and has proximal and distal ends. Secured to the distal end of the handle 12 is the frame 16. As illustrated, the frame 16 comprises a flat continuous hoop formed of a member of a cross section similar to that of the handle 12 and shaped to define the perimeter of a generally rectangular opening 20 disposed in the plane of the handle.

It is desirable that the aid 10 accurately simulate the conditions encountered when batting with a normal bat,

tight fitting engagement.

yet still affords the various advantages discussed above. To this end, the weight and balance of the aid are such that, when swung, it feels to the batter substantially like a normal bat. Further, the opening 20 is elongated in a direction of the axis 13 of the handle 12, and the frame 16 is secured to the handle so that the central longitudinal axis of the opening coincideswith the axis 13 of that member. The width of the opening 20 measured in a direction perpendicular to the axes of the handle and frame is at least equal to the diameter of a baseball in order that it can freely receive the ball. Preferably, the dimensions of the aid are related to the dimensions of a normal bat 22 and balls 24 in the manner illustrated diagrammatically in FIGURE 2. As may be seen in that figure, the overall length of the aid is preferably about equal to that of the normal bat 22 with a length of the opening 20 corresponding to that portion of the bat with which it is desired to contact the ball. Similarly, the width of the opening 20 is approximately equal to the diameter of the bat 22 plus two thirds that of two balls 24 or one and and one third diameters of a normal ball. Favorable results are achieved when, as is the illustrative case, the length is of the order of 1.6 times this width. As will be appreciated, for a given vertical position of the bat 22, there is a considerable vertical range in which the ball 24 may be struck to hit it into the playing field. This concept is clearly brought out by the phantom line showing of FIGURE 4. In order to accurately simulate this range, the width of the opening 20 is thus made substantially greater than the diameter of the ball. It is noted in passing, that under certain conditions, it may be desirable to reduce the width of the opening 20 to emphasize accuracy, whereas in others it may be desirable to increase it to facilitate use of the aid.

The net 18 is secured to the frame 16 around the perimeter of the opening 20 and arranged to net balls passing through the opening. T o cushion the shock of the ball striking the net 18, the latter is made flexible. As noted above, nylon cord has been found to be particularly advantageous. The net may, of course, be any suitable design provided, of course, that the mesh size is smaller than the diameter of the baseball 24. A further advantage of the flexible net arrangement is that the net 18 may be positioned initially on either side of the frame 16 to net balls passing through the opening 20 from the opposite side. This serves to render the aid capable of being used by both left handed or right handed batters, as will be more fully explained below.

The grip 14 is secured on the proximal end of the handle 12. This is achieved in the illustrative embodiment by providing the grip 14 with a cylindrical bore 15 that telescopically receives the end of the handle 12 in Preferably, the grip 14 is generally cylindrical in external shape, increasing progressively in diameter from a location spaced slightly inwardly of its proximal end and continuing toward that-end.

To prevent the batters inside hand from sliding off the end of the aid, a radially enlarged abutmentflange 26 is formed on the prom'mal end of the grip 14.

Located adjacent the proximal end of the grip 14 at longitudinally spaced, but angularly aligned, positions are a plurality of radial projections 28. Three such projec tions 28 are provided in the present case. The spaces between adjacent projections 28, as well as the space between the flange 26 and the immediately adjacent projection are such that the fingers of the players inside hand are comfortably received. The projections-28 cooperate to serve as a reminder grip or to aid the batter in positioning and maintaining his hands on the grip 14 in a predetermined relationship with respect to the'opening 20. In this connection, the only way the aid can be comfortably gripped by the player is with at least his inside hand in the desired position. The projections 28 in the illustrative embodiment are located in a plane coincident with that of the opening 29. Eecause of this arrangement, the opening 28 is arranged vertically at the instant the ball would nomally be contacted by the bat and here at the instant the opening is intended to receive the ball 24. This assumes, however, that the aid has been swung properly, in addition to having been gripped in the correct manner. As may be seen in FIGURE 1, with the opening arranged generally vertically, the wrists have been rolled the proper amount and the backside of the inside hand 30 assumes the desired vertical position facing in the direction in which it is desired to hit the ball.

In view of the foregoing description of the construction of the aid 10, the manner in which it is used is believed readily apparent. A right handed batter grips the aid with his left or inside hand 30 adjacent the flange 26 on the proximal end of the grip, as illustrated in FIGURE 1. As noted immediately above, the projections 28 are received between his fingers and aid him in properly positioning and maintaining his hands in a predetermined position on the grip 14 with respect to the opening 20. The right or outside hand 32 is then positioned on the grip 14 ahead of the other hand. No projections or the like are here provided to aid in positioning the hand 32. However, it is noted that once the inside hand 30 is properly positioned, the other hand 32 naturally assumes the correct position. The net 18 is initially disposed in this situation on the backside of the frame 16, as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Should a left handed player desire to use the aid, it is simply necessary to pull the net 18 through the opening to initially position it on the opposite side.

With the hatters hands properly positioned with respect to the opening 29, the aid 10 is then swung at the ball 24 which may be pitched in the usual manner. Assuming that the swing is proper and the backside of the inside hand 30 faces in the direction in which it is desired to hit the ball 24 at the instant of normally contacting a ball, the latter passes through the opening 20, which is then of maximum vertical extent A (FIGURE 4), and is caught in the net 18. By virtue of the net 18 being flexible, it serves to cushion the shock. Further, once the ball 24 is netted, the aid takes on added weight at its outer end, which actually works to advantage by forcing the batter to follow through in his swing.

Assuming now that a player swings improperly as, for example, by attempting to pull a low outside pitch to left field. Should this be the case, the wrist are rolled beyond the desired extent causing the backside of the inside hand 38 to face toward the ground. In this condition, the vertical extent a of the opening 20 is greatly reduced at the instant the ball 24 would normally pass through it, as illustrated in phantom lines at 34 in FIGURE 4. Accordingly, in all likelihood, the ball 24 will be entirely missed or may possibly strike the frame 16 and be deflected a short distance up in the air or down to the ground, giving the player a clear indication of an improper performance. In similar regard, if he should attempt to push an inside pitch, failing to roll his wrists soon enough, the opening 20 will be tilted upwardly and greatly reduced in vertical extent, as shown in phantom lines at 36 in FIG- URE 4, making it highly unlikely that the ball 24 will be netted. Accordingly, it will be understood that the batter can concentrate his effort on any given type of pitch until he consistently catches the ball 24 in the net 18 and thus obtains the feel for the wing, which will produce maximum power for that pitch.

It has been found extremely useful in batting practice with the aid 16 to vary the manner in which the :ball is projected. For example, in addition to pitching it in the normal manner, it may be projected vertically upwardly from any desired location. This is a particularly, useful method of concentrating on hitting balls on the fringes of the strike zone. In this connection, the ball projecting device may be arranged so that the ball moves upwardly to a given height at a location out in front of the plate,

where a high inside pitch should be contacted with the bat. The batter is thereby forced to hit the ball at the desired position, and the aid teaches him to roll his wrists properly for pulling the ball with maximum power to left field. Likewise, the ball may be projected at the location in which it is desirable to strike a low outside pitch. The aid again may be used to develop the optimum swing for that pitch.

Because of the nature of the batting aid 10, very little space is required in which to take batting practice. This is particularly true in a situation Where the ball is merely projected upwardly from the ground. It is also significant to note that the problem of a large number of balls and fielders being required in order to carry out sustained batting practice is essentially eliminated. Here, the player may eificiently practice on his own with a single ball and obtain the feel for the correct swing.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described with a certain degree of particularity, it will be understood that this is only by way of illustration and that various changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A batting aid to be swung by a player in the manner of a normal bat at a baseball in batting practice, comprising:

a handle having a longitudinal axis and proximal and distal ends;

a frame on the distal end of said handle defining the perimeter of an opening that is elongated in the direction of the axis of said handle and symmetrical on opposite sides of a central axis coincident with the axis of said handle, said opening having a substantially constant width over the major portion of its length, measured in a direction perpendicular to said axis, which is greater than the diameter of the baseball, and a length that corresponds to the effective hitting area of a normal bat;

flexible means secured to said frame and arranged to net the baseball as it passes through said opening and retain it therein;

a grip on said handle adjacent its proximal end adapted to be gripped by the players hands;

and means on said grip to aid the player in positioning and maintaining his hands in a predetermined orientation with respect to said opening.

2. A batting aid to be swung by a player in the manner of a normal bat at a baseball in batting practice, comprising:

an elongated straight handle having a longitudinal axis and proximal and distal ends;

a frame on the distal end of said handle defining a perimeter of an opening elongated in the direction of said axis that is located substantially in the plane of said axis, the width of said opening measured in a direction perpendicular to said axis being substantially constant over the major portion of its length and substantially greater than the diameter of the baseball;

flexible net means secured to said frame and arranged to net the baseball as it passes through said opening and retain it therein;

a generally cylindrical grip on said handle adjacent its proximal end adapted to be gripped by the players hands, the total length of said aid including said handle, frame and grip being substantially equal to that of a normal bat;

and a series of longitudinally spaced projections on said grip angularly aligned with one another and located in a plane substantially coplanar with that of said opening, said projections being adapted to be received between the fingers of the players hands to aid in positioning and maintaining the hands on the grip so that when the aid is swung properly by the player, the effective vertical extent of said opening is maximum at the instant the baseball passes therethrough.

3. A batting aid to be swung by a player in the manner of a normal bat at a baseball in batting practice, comprising:

an elongated straight handle having a longitudinal axis and proximal and distal ends;

a frame including a flat hoop defining an opening that is elongated substantially in the direction of said axis and has a substantially constant width measured in a direction perpendicular to said axis approximately equal to the diameter of a normal bat plus one and one thirds times the diameter of a baseball;

a flexible net secured to said hoop and having a mesh size smaller than the diameter of a baseball, said net being arranged to net the baseball as it passes through said opening and retain it therein;

a grip on said handle adjacent its proximal end adapted to be gripped by the players hands;

and means on said grip to aid the player in positioning his hands on said grip in a predetermined orientation with respect to said opening.

4. A batting aid to be swung by a player in the manner of a normal bat at a baseball in batting practice, comprising:

an elongated straight handle having a longitudinal axis and proximal and distal ends;

a frame including a continuous hoop member secured to said handle and shaped to define the perimeter of a rectangular opening that is symmetrical on opposite sides of an axis coincident with the axis of said handle, said rectangular opening being elongated in the direction of said axes and having a width measured in a direction perpendicular to said axes substantially greater than the diameter of the baseball and a length on the order of 1.6 times the width;

flexible means secured to said frame and cooperable with said opening to catch the baseball when it passes through said opening and retain it therein;

grip means on said handle adjacent its proximal end adapted to be gripped by the players hands;

and means on said last mentioned means at a predetermined position with respect to said opening for aiding the player in positioning and maintaining his hands on said grip means, so that when the aid is swung properly by the player, the effective vertical extent of said opening is maximum just at the instant the baseball passes therethrough.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,366,145 l/21 Wolf 43-12 1,546,502 7/21 Maschmann 43-12 1,664,257 3/28 McCullough 27381.4 2,142,527 1/39 Pool 27396 3,082,561 3/63 Convey et a1 431l RICHARD C. PINHAM, Primary Examiner.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiner. 

1. A BATTING AID TO BE SWUNG BY A PLAYER IN THE MANNER OF A NORMAL BAT AT A BASEBALL IN BATTING PRACTICE, COMPRISING: A HANDLE HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND PROXIMAL AND DISTAL ENDS; A FRAME ON THE DISTAL END OF SAID HANDLE DEFINING THE PERIMETER OF AN OPENING THAT IS ELONGATED IN THE DIRECTION OF THE AXIS OF SAID HANDLE AND SYMMETRICAL ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A CENTRAL AXIS COINCIDENT WITH THE AXIS OF SAID HANDLE, SAID OPENING HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT WIDTH OVER THE MAJOR PORTION OF ITS LENGTH, MEASURED IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO SAID AXIS, WHICH IS GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE BASEBALL, AND A LENGTH THAT CORRESPONDS TO THE EFFECTIVE HITTING AREA OF A NORMAL BAT; FLEXIBLE MEANS SECURED TO SAID FRAME AND ARRANGED TO NET THE BASEBALL AS IT PASSES THROUGH SAID OPENING AND RETAIN IT THEREIN; A GRIP ON SAID HANDLE ADJACENT ITS PROXIMAL END ADAPTED TO BE GRIPPED BY THE PLAYERS HANDS; AND MEANS ON SAID GRIP TO AID THE PLAYER IN POSITIONING AND MAINTAINING HIS HANDS IN A PREDETERMINED ORIENTATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID OPENING. 